Like Pieces In Their Place
by IsabelleReid
Summary: Reid turns up to work sick and JJ has noticed things are getting more and more strange with Morgan and Hotchner. An UNSUB kills a series of internet personalities at a well-known convention and the team are called in to help before things get out of hand.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello there you lovely people. As you can see i usually write Gleeee fanfiction and although i do watch a LOT more American shows, Criminal Minds is the only other show to date that makes me want to write. I'm now mid way through Season 4 (started from the start on LoveFilm) so if things are wrong or behind then i apologize and the chapters will change as i watch the and i also have a thing for Reid. Just sayin'.  
**

**Brief Summary: Reid comes down sick and Morgan is there to try and help him get better. Meanwhile the team have to deal with a particularly strange UnSub and Aaron Hotchner also has some feelings to deal with. **

_Chapter 1: 264 hours_

_"The last refuge of the insomniac is a sense of superiority to the sleeping world." - Leonard Cohen  
_

Morgan glanced at his watch as he sat at his desk, reading a case file but not actually taking any of it in. It was 8:58 am and Spencer Reid, resident genius, was nowhere to be seen. Usually Spencer was in by 8am on their quietest days.  
"Hotch, have you seen Reid? He's normally here by now." Morgan asked after he had entered his Unit Chief's office. The analytical agent watched as the older man looked up from the same case file; the murder of 2 internet sensations at the same convention. Aaron Hotchner was pulled from the case by the young doctor rushing in from the elevator, mumbling apologies as he hurried to his area, knocking his case files to the floor; dropping to his seat clumsily.

Jennifer Jareau watched on as Reid lost his composure after trying to write the same sentence 3 times. Something was certainly off with the youngest member of their team. JJ waited for Morgan to notice Reid's arrival and would immediately make sure he was okay. She'd been observing Morgan and Reid and had noticed that they were getting closer during their last few months within the bureau. First it was the occasional basketball game that Morgan's friend dropped out of at the last minute (as if the man man had **no** other friends he could take) and Spencer had also just happened to be free that night (he was always free so why didn't he agree to go out with them more often?) The occurrences had been growing in frequency during the last few weeks and lately their physicality with one another seemed to also be on the rise.

It appeared as though neither of them had even noticed they were doing it. She got up from her desk and crossed over to their youngest agent.  
"Reid, you really don't look so good. Maybe some rest at home would be good for you?" She asked, bending down to retrieve his papers from the floor. She already guessed that he would decline so she gave Derek a meaningful look. The other man gave her a nod of understanding and helped Spencer to stand up straight. Morgan tried to ignore the way Reid was shaking and the purple bruises under his eyes that had been steadily darkening.  
"Maybe if i went home to just sleep for a little while, it might be beneficial to my work. Did you know that the longest you can stay awake is 264 hours or 11 days. It was tested in 1965 when..."  
"Yes Spencer. We understand; sleep." The older agent interrupted him, rolling his eyes playfully. Leave it to Reid to use statistics to illustrate that he was tired. Morgan got the feeling that no-one would take Spencer seriously without the cold hard facts to back his youth up.

Everyone in the department was watching as JJ collected the doctor's papers for him and Morgan tried to manhandle him from his seat. Unfortunately for Reid he worked in the _profiling_ department of the FBI and everyone had noticed his downward spiral since his 'problem' with dilaudid. He had been constantly turning up agitated to work and flustered like he'd just got out of the shower. He'd also been drinking near enough dangerous amounts of coffee and rarely seemed to eat anything. The saddest part, Morgan thought, was that Spencer had turned hostile towards his friends and the adorably awkward doctor they all knew and loved. That part hurt Morgan the most; the sarcastic eye-rolling, the glares and the hostile retorts. It was very different to the young man now. He looked vulnerable and slightly adorable, like his old self.

Morgan quickly dragged his thoughts back to the realm of the appropriate work colleagues. He felt Reid latch onto his waist and he did all he could to maneuver Reid back to the elevator. He surveyed their co-workers while they waited and noticed that Hotch had also left his office to see what the commotion was about. Hotch had been different since his divorce from Haley. Morgan had been the first to notice but the others the others had sensed something was wrong when he had started to sleep at the office. He seemed to be paying a lot more attention to Reid since Gideon's disappearance a few months prior. The elevator doors opened and Reid dragged himself in, clinging to the bar inside as if his life depended on it.

Getting Reid to his car was definitely an interesting experience. He continuously scratched his arm; nervous. Spencer fell asleep half way back to his apartment, head resting on the window of the passenger seat. When they had stopped at a red light Morgan took time to watch the young agent's chest rising and falling. Sleep had evidently taken hold of him for now. Derek was beginning to feel guilty about the way he'd handled the Hankel case after Reid had been allowed to leave the hospital. Sure, everyone had looked after him at work and had been constantly checking up on him; but no-one went home with him to make sure that away from their watchful eyes (where he knew to keep his true feelings hidden) that he was doing okay. It was in that moment, watching the other man sleep, that Morgan decided he would call JJ and tell her he was taking the day off to look after Reid.

**So people, end of Chapter 1. I'm a Brit so any anomalies in places or colloquialisms is my bad, so please inform me of them. I'd love to have an American consultant who i could maybe check things with and ask stuff over emails or something convenient? Any takers? :)  
**

**Chapter 2 will follow soon, not sure where this is going but there will be an UNSUB soon, probably in the next few chapters. **

**KB**


	2. Chapter 2

**Slightly shorter chapter this time but this is more of a character development thing. Hope you like it. I've just gotten up to Season 7 episode 6. Rossi's poor ex-wife. Anyways, i'd really like to know you guys' thoughts on this because i'm not sure where it's going. I just like Morgan/Reid and hope that this doesn't end up without an actual story line! Thanks for the amazing feedback by the way, wasn't sure whether you guys would be with me on this one.**

_Chapter 2: Sweet Innocent Reid. _

_"There is not enough celebration of companionship. Relationships aren't just about eroticism and sexuality" - Francesca Annis  
_

* * *

Derek Morgan took the keys from the young Doctor, unlocking the door and pushing it open slowly. He knew that no-one hostile would be waiting for them because he had checked instinctively for any signs of a break in. Ever since Elle was shot everyone had been much more wary of their own homes. Reid groaned sleepily beside him, his hand resting on the bottom of Morgan's back. He helped Spencer inside when he was sure that the house was empty. A crash made him turn around, hand on his gun holster.

* * *

Spencer finally let his legs give way when he had reached the sanctity of his own home. He woke up about an hour later, in his own bed, dressed in just his sweatpants. One of his chairs from the kitchen/diner was in the corner of the room, unoccupied. Immediately his mind went back to _that_ day. This was the most thing about an eidetic memory. Everything was there in front of his eyes. Dirt, a dark cabin, an uncomfortable chair and a needle. The young man thrashed around in his bed sheets crying out desperately to alert someone.  
"Some help me, I need help!" He shouted, his brain too focused on the memory to notice he wasn't bound.  
"Spencer, Spencer. It's okay." Morgan responded loudly as he raced into the room, coming to a halt at the side of his bed, crouching down to get on his level. "Spencer, it's Derek. Derek Morgan." He repeated softly, gently resting a hand on his shoulder. The younger agent managed to slow his breathing and within a few minutes his eyes refocused and he looked at Morgan.  
"Sorry. It's still a little... Yeah." He admitted awkwardly, scratching the inside of his arm again. Derek pretended he hadn't seen the small needle scars.  
"You weren't out long. You need more sleep."  
"Could you sleep here with me? I can't normally sleep unless someone is here with me. Cassie normally stays but she's out of town on business. It's the main reason i haven't been sleeping." He explained, settling back down beneath the sheets, moving over in the hope that his colleague would lay with him.

Morgan was in two minds about the situation. The kid really did look tired and Hotch had cleared him for a few days vacation unless a case arose. Spencer was a work associate. A **male** work associate. He let out a deep sigh, getting into bed with his _friend_. Morgan had begun to question his relationship with Reid when Hankel had abducted him. When he had first seen the images of Reid beaten he felt sick. Physically sick. When Hotch had sent him to cool off he'd laid into the seats in his car before letting a few tears escape. Of all the team Hankel had picked Reid; sweet, innocent Reid. Morgan still blamed himself for that. If only he'd been partnered with Reid. Could he have protected him any better?

* * *

Spencer Reid woke roughly 6 hours after falling asleep and he felt better than he had in weeks. He turned over and tried his hardest not to make a sound as he discovered that it was Morgan's arm that was wrapped around his waist protectively as he slept. He laid still and took to watching the other agent. He looked so peaceful while he slept. It was difficult to believe that he could still sleep after some of the things they had encountered. It was also hard to believe that Derek Morgan was an alpha male*, a ladies man. He took a risk and laid a hand on Morgan's cheek, running his finger down the contours of his dark skin.  
"Hey kid. I was trying to sleep." He said, slowly rubbing the sleep from his eyes before he opened them. Weirdly he didn't object when he felt the doctor's soft fingers on his face. It only confirmed to him that he was more fond of Spencer than he first thought. He smirked quietly as he watched Spencer panic harmlessly. He'd been caught and now he resembled a deer in the headlights.  
"I didn't mean... I'm sorry if... You can..." Spencer began, never seeming to find the right words to say. _Why did he even do it? It was weird. Even his genius brain couldn't explain away this one. _He was surprised when Morgan merely shook his head and laughed, pulling himself to the sitting position.  
"You don't make me uncomfortable, Reid." Derek said, placing a hand on Spencer's arm, letting the touch linger slightly. The younger doctor calmed down after he was comforted, smiling softly, the way he did when a case was solved with a happy ending. His eyes held Derek's briefly before he looked down then got out of his bed, pulling on one of his old shirts. His stomach growled unhappily and he frowned, remembering that he hadn't eaten in a number of hours. Pushing a hand through his unruly hair he walked downstairs to his large open plan kitchen. He much preferred this part of his house because it was surrounded by floor to ceiling windows that were thick enough to stop a low charged bullet. He could see out and that was the main thing. He moved to his cupboard and began selecting ingredients for pancakes; he wasn't sure whether Morgan liked them but he had a feeling that he might.

* * *

***Oh yes, i perceive Morgan as an alpha. It's my personal opinion and i'd love to know what you think? :)  
**


End file.
